Following the drilling of a wellbore, it is necessary to ensure that the drill pipe or tubular is free from any debris, particularly after cementing operations. Typically this is performed by pumping foam rubber elements, known as wiper balls, from the surface through the bore of the drill pipe or tubular. The cleaning elements characteristically have a larger diameter than the pipe undergoing cleaning in order to create a friction fit. In some cases it may be necessary to pass more than one cleaning element through the bore to achieve sufficient clearance of the debris in the bore. The force required to launch such a cleaning element into a pipe can be extremely large, leading to a risk of injury, and an inefficient and time-consuming loading process.